Silas e



UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

SILAS R. DIVINE, OF LOOH SHELDRAKE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE BENDROCKPOIVDER COMPANY, OF NE\V JERSEY.

COMPOSITION FOR PREPARING EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatenfNo. 289,765, datedDecember 4,1883.

Application filed August 7,1883. (no specimens.)

To all whom'it may concern Be it known that I, SILAS 1t. DIVINE. of LochSheldrake, Sullivan county, Stat-e of-New York, and a citizenof theUnited States, have invented an Improved Composition of Matter for Usein Preparing Explosive Compounds, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact specification.

The object of my present invention is to fa- IO eilitate the'explosionby the use of so] hur of an explosive. compound composed of twoingredients, the one a solidsor powderecLc 1 aliquid-sueh as dea -01such as crushed "'::and the other .-.-wiI1- ich ingredisorb the liquid,and to efl'ect the incorporation of the sulphur with the massof thecombined ingredients at the same time that the uniting of the saidingredients in their exact proper relative proportions in the explosiveis accomplished, and wholly without the exercise of skill on thepa'rt oftheworkman performing the act.

My invention consists in a composition of 2 5 matter not in itselfexplosive, which is a fluid mixture composed of the liquid ingredient ofthe explosive'such as dead oil-and a volatile fluid-such as bisulphideof carbon-and sulphur, in a finely-powdered state, dissolved 0 in saidvolatile fluid. v

' In composingmy mixture I" take the quantity of the liquid' ingredientof the explosive, 'whichis the proper proportion thereof relatively tothe solid ingredient, and which, in

5 thecase of dead-oil, islabout one part thereof to seven and oneehalfparts of chlorate of potash, and to this I add such a quantity of thebisulphide of carbon' or other volatile fluid in which the sulphur hasbeen dissolved as will 0 make a fluid-volume equal to the totalfluidabsorbing'capacity of the solid ingredient of the, compound; and asthe total fluid-absorbing capacity of the chlorate of potash is aboutdouble the volume of the quantity of dead-oil 5 which constitutes theproper relative proporin the bisulphide of carbon, and the desirable 5oproportion of sulphur is from about one to three per cent. thereofrelatively to the mass of the combined. solid and liquid ingredients ofthe explosive.

It is evident that other fluid hydrocarbons which are practicallynon-volatile in a free state at ordinary temperatures ornitro'compounds-such as nitro-benzglemay be enh ployed, wholly orinpart, as constituentsot. my mixture, when their use as the liquidii 6ogredient of the explosive is desired; and also that other volatilefluids in which sulphur will I dissolve than bisulphide of carbon may beemployed in themixture. o

It is my purpose and 'ntention to make this mixture of the liquidingredient of the explosive-[such as dead-oil-and the volatile fluid andsulphur in solution, and to put up the same in vessels or cans suitablefor transpor tation,- and to supply it in this way to the consumer. Itsuse by the consumer is intended to do away with the necessity for theemploy-' ment of skilled labor in effecting the final combining of theingredients of the explosive.

The workman simply soaks the solid ingrediv ent-"-such as.chlorate ofpotash-4n this mix-w ture until saturation is efi'eetcd, and then laysthe saturated mass in the open air or other convenient place for a shorttime, whenthe volatile fluid evaporates and escapes, leaving the sulphurincorporated with the wet or moist mass of thecombined chlorate ofpotash and dead-oil at the same time that'the exact proper proportionsin the compound nf said solid-and I liquid ingredients are secured.'Anexplosiveis v 7 thus constituted which may} be used in blastv ingloose or. rotten rocklorshale orjearthfii The'explosivegi pmpoundthusproduced'and I the process by; which the exact proportionsoffifythe'ingredients of the compound are at all times-.securedl have madesubjects of sepa tr rate applications for Letters Patent; and hence I donot claim them here, but limit my claim hereunder to the describedcomposition of matter, which is a mixture in the proportions in-"dicated of the liquid ingredient of the explosivesuch asdead-oila-volatile fluidsuch as bisulphide of carbon-and sulphur insolution in the latter, for the specific purpose set forth. I

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is- 5 The composition of matter herein described, which consists in afluid mixture of the liquid ingredient of the explosive-as degckoil-thevolatile fluidas bisulphide of carbon-and sul )hur in solution in thelatter, substantially in the proportions and as and for the purpose r0specified.

SILAS R. DIVINE.

Y-Vitnesses:

A. S. FITCH, A. G. N. VERMILYA.

